That's just the travel version of what @laura_white99 said about it feeling like a second job. People will trade huge amounts of time and comfort to save a little money, then burn it on something else without thinking. The budget sounds great until you realize you spent three weeks doing chores.

Yeah, and sometimes the hate sticks even after you try it. I gave sushi a real shot, multiple times, and it just never clicked for me. The texture is a hard no. I get the point about not writing things off, but sometimes that first draft of hate is actually the final copy.

Shaking halfway is fine, just make sure your oil is hot enough first.

Check the dates on the meat packages at my store. I started buying the ones marked for sale that day and freezing them right away. It's not a huge fix, but it saved me a few bucks last week. @the_blair is right about that inflation flavor, it tastes like my wallet getting lighter. I've also switched to using more beans or lentils in some meals to stretch the beef further. It's just getting too crazy to rely on it for every dinner.

Yeah, the whole "butter makes everything better" thing is so true. It reminds me of my grandma's pie crust recipe. She swore by shortening for flakiness, but I tried it with butter once and never went back. The flavor is just deeper, you know? Like, it actually tastes like something instead of just being crispy. Some old school methods are worth updating.